Sunday Focus: Buds

Photo by Meg Boscov

Editor’s Note: This ongoing Sunday feature pairs photographs from Meg Boscov with a thought (or two) from the managing editor about focusing on tiny things to find something significant. Paired with this photograph is a prose poem from the series AFTER, a series of photographs & prose poems that imagines the world without us, after the melting.
 

Click on the picture itself to view at full size.

 

 

Today, more than ever, in this far cry from the way-back-when, a buddy can create all the difference, can encourage you to settle. This bud wants to listen, cares not how many times you ask what chemical to defend, what color to attract. This bud has your back, will ensure you are not bug-meat. Remember how the gardeners luxuriated in the smell of fresh-cut grass, the aroma a chemical smoke-signal warning of imminent attack. Jeepers! The carving, the cleaving, gashing still stinks, does it not? But we can be birds of a feather, peas in a pod. Prepare to share. You are not growing alone; ah, yes, I feel the electricity of the moment. You are haunted by the caterpillar? Well, that my friend, my comrade, my bud is a horse of a different brew: alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, ester. Are you with me?

☄

Meg Boscov is a photographer who lives and works outside of Philadelphia where she continues to pursue her careers in animal-assisted education and dog training. She can be reached at her website or on instagram at megboscov.

Check out the write-up of the journal in The Writer.

Matter Press recently released titles from Meg Boscov, Abby Frucht, Robert McBrearty, Tori Bond, Kathy Fish, and Christopher Allen. Click here.

Matter Press is now offering private flash fiction workshops and critiques of flash fiction collections here.

Submissions

Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again September 15, 2025. Submit here.

Upcoming

12/15 • Isabelle Ness
12/22 • Catherine Bai
12/29 • Stephan Viau
01/05 • Allison Blevins
01/12 • Justin Ocelot
01/19 • Yejun Chun
01/26 • Mathieu Parsy
02/02 • Robert McBrearty
02/09 • Sarah Daly
02/16 • Wayne Lee
02/23 • Terena Elizabeth Bell
03/02 • Michael Mirolla
03/09 • Nicholas Claro
03/16 • TBD
03/23 • TBD
03/30 • TBD